David A. Freidel (born 11 July 1946) is an American academic archaeologist, Mayanist scholar and author. He is best known for the books he co-authored with Linda Schele, Maya Cosmos and Forest of Kings. Freidel attended Commonwealth School in Boston and received both his B. A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University. He is married to Carolyn Sargent, an anthropology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and has two daughters.